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Monday, January 26, 2015

General Bardic Studies for Liturgists 1 - Part 4

Compare and contrast two mythological or
folkloric tales from two Indo-European cultures. Include a discussion of the
use of narrative point-of-view, the element of time, and any relevant issues of
religious (or other) bias influencing the narrative.

The Norse Story of Sól and Máni

In Norse mythology, the sun and moon are seen to be sister and brother,
Sól and Máni [pronounced like the English word “soul”… “MAH-nee”…(McCoy)]. According to
McCoy, they were the first to emerge during the creation of the cosmos, though
at the time they were not given their respective powers in the new world. This
can be seen in The Poetic Edda(Völuspá):

5. The sun, the
sister | of the moon, from the south
Her right hand cast | over heaven's rim;
No knowledge she had | where her home should be,
The moon knew not | what might was his,
The stars knew not | where their stations were.

During
this creation process, the gods gathered together to set in motion the cycles
of night and day, the year, and the cycle of the moon. As it is not very clear
on who these gods are, I assume the
gods being referred to here are those from the Norse creation mythos Bor, Odin,
Vili, and Ve as they were the ones to sacrifice Ymir during the act of creation(Mortensen 19-24). It is here that Sól and Máni
were given their powers over their respective parts of the heavens (Völuspá):

6. Then sought the
gods | their assembly-seats,
The holy ones, | and council held;
Names then gave they | to noon and twilight,
Morning they named, | and the waning moon,
Night and evening, | the years to number.

This division of power and time
shows that the ancients believed that the sun and moon governed the seasons and
time. We will see this reflected in the Hellenic Mythology as well when we look
at the powers and children associated with the deities of the sun and moon in
that culture.

McCoy goes on further to state that both goddess and god rode “… through
the sky on horse-drawn chariots” (McCoy).

The Hellenic Story of Helius and Selene

Much like the sun and moon in
the Norse culture, Helius and Selene in Greek mythology are seen as being
present during the creation of the cosmos. Though the twins, Apollon and
Artemis, as well as many other deities, were sometimes associated with the sun
and moon, it is actually the Titans Helius and Selene who are the sun and moon
incarnate. Both Selene and Helius were said to ride in chariots across the sky.
Selene’s chariot was drawn by “… a pair of winged steeds. Her lunar sphere or
crescent was represented as either a crown set upon her head or as the fold of
a raised shinning cloak. Sometimes she was said to drive a team of oxen and her
lunar crescent was likened to the horns of a bull” (Atsma, Selene). Helius’ chariot was pulled by “… four
fiery winged steeds and (Helius was…) crowned with aureole of the sun” (Atsma, Helios).

Selene was credited as being the
mother of “… Pandia (All-Gifts), Ersa (Dew), the Menai (Months), and some say
of the four Horai (Seasons)” (Atsma, Selene). This shows the power she had on the
cycles of life in the Middle Realm, especially since the seasons and telling of
time were forecasted by a lunar calendar in ancient times.

Helius was said to rise up out
of the River God Okeanos in the morning and “… set in the land of the
Hesperides (Evenings) in the West he descended into a golden cup which carried
him around the northern streams of Okeanos back to his rising place in the
East” (Atsma, Helios).

Analysis

In contrast to the Norse Sól and
Máni, Selene is the goddess of the moon and Helius is the god of the sun. This
difference could be seen as the corresponding relationship that each culture might
have seen with the sun and moon. When we look at the vast amounts of
information of the Hellenic culture, we perhaps see why these associations are
in such contrast to one another.

The moon is seen as giving birth
to all that is important to fertility in the Hellenic mythologies. This could
be seen because the sun in the Mediterranean could be extremely harsh on the
land, as well as the people. These are the kinds of aspects that were
associated with male deities, generally, while female deities were associated
more with fertility and life. Therefore, it would be logical to see the moon as
a beacon of the cool desirable times of the cycle. Conversely, in the extremes
northern countries of the Norse culture, the sun would be seen as the warming
of the harshness of the night. It would be welcomed as the life-giving, fertile
light by which the people could farm and fish by. Here the moon and the
times of darkness would be seen as the harsher times of life. It would be the
times in which the people struggled to survive as the land and sea would be
less life giving.

Another
important aspect to remember is that Selene and Helius were not Olympians but
Titans. The Titans were primordial beings that ruled the cosmos before the
Olympians came into power. Many scholars view this era as a time of chaos, of
which the Titans themselves were a part. It was through the domination of the
Titans by the Olympians that Order was brought to the cosmos so that life could
begin. In the Norse mythology, we are given the impression that Sól and Máni
were born during a time when the beginning Order was taking place, but perhaps
they were still were a part of the Chaos that the Asgardians ended through
bringing purpose and Order. This order can be seen in both cultures through the
lunar and solar cycles, being the givers of time and marking of the change of
the seasons. So despite the seemingly superficial differences between these two
sets deities, they can be closely linked in function because both sets brought
about the demarcation of time set to the new Order of the universe.

About Me

I am an ordained Neo-Pagan Druid Priest that follows the path of Ár nDraíocht Féin: A Druid Fellowship (ADF). I am just a Druid gay man making my way through life, trying to find where my path will lead me and learning as much as I can along the way. As a published writer, I work to help educate people on the Druid path, Paganism in general, and magical practices.